The present invention relates to medical waste disposal containers and lids for such containers, particularly containers for used sharp medical devices, which may require temporary and permanent closure.
The safe and efficient disposal of sharp medical devices such as surgical knives, blades, hypodermic needles and the like is a problem for medical and other healthcare facilities. Disposable containers have been developed in recent years which provide a reasonably high degree of security for disposable sharps articles and materials from hospitals and clinics. Many of these articles, such as needles and surgical blades known as sharps, and other similar articles and materials, must be disposed of in a manner to keep them out of the hands of unauthorized persons and to keep them from being reused.
The containers are normally designed to prevent the removal of materials from the container under ordinary circumstances until permanently closed. Commonly used Horizontal Entry Opening containers, which accommodate a counter-balance door restrict human access to the contents of the container by creating a torturous path when a person attempts to put their hand into the container. Unfortunately, this same restricted access can prohibit the disposal of certain objects through the opening. Any object disposed of must impact the counter-balanced door and the weight of the disposed item will rotate the door moving it out of the opening and allowing the item to drop into the container. This creates an opportunity for very light, unusually shaped or sticky items to become hung up on the door warranting additional manipulation from the user to finish the disposal of the item increasing the risk of danger to the user from contamination or needle sticks.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need in the art for containers which restricts human access to the contents and provides an opening of sufficient size to allow disposal of large or oddly shaped items.